ISLAMABAD: Former Nadra chairman Tariq Malik has been named one of the world’s top 25 identity leaders by US-based company Okta.

The list, by Okta Ventures, the venture investment arm of Okta, is a “diverse compilation of forward-thinking developers, strategists, business leaders, and public servants”.

“The honorees are being recognised for their tireless efforts in software creation, standards evolution, and strategic implementation to keep digital transactions safe and seamless. Their work tackles some of the most pressing challenges in the digital age,” it said.

To mark the honour, Malik has been featured on the Nasdaq billboard in Times Square, New York City, alongside 24 other global leaders.

In his featured interview, Malik said: “Digital identity succeeds or fails not on technology, but on whether its governance can withstand political pressure.”

He argued that identity systems must be treated as core governance infrastructure, supported by institutional independence, legal safeguards, and accountability to sustain public trust.

He highlighted three global trends: passwordless authentication and verifiable credentials; machine-readable governance that embeds rules and consent directly into systems; and the convergence of identity, data, and artificial intelligence into a unified trust layer.

Drawing on his tenure at Nadra, Malik said adoption depends on “trust, utility, and governance”.

Successful systems, he noted, deliver value to citizens from day one, ensure inclusive enrolment, and embed visible safeguards.

“When identity systems improve transparency or disrupt entrenched interests, they inevitably face resistance,” he said. “Durability depends on anticipating this pushback and building institutional coalitions.”

Malik had resigned as Nadra chairman in 2013 after completing his three-year term. He currently serves as technical adviser to the World Bank’s Identification for Development (ID4D) programme and has advised large-scale digital identity and digital public infrastructure projects across Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East.

He previously also served as the chief technical adviser on digital ID and digital governance at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Malik has previously been named among the World’s 100 most influential people in digital government by Apolitical and the top 100 digital influencers by One World Identity (OWI).

He also received the ‘Outstanding Achievement Award’ at the 2009 ID World International Congress in Italy, and the Sitara-i-Imtiaz for advancing governance through digital innovation.